After neighbors complained about the smell, a lady was fined more than £1,000 for neglecting to clear up piles of dog excrement in her own back garden.
Before being hauled to court, Alison Dawson, 48, refused multiple notices from Durham County Council to clear up the filthy condition.
Alison was served with an abatement notice after locals complained about the “eyesore” excrement mounds.
The council ordered her to clean up the feces at her Stanley, County Durham, house, but she did not comply. She was fined £1,038 and given a Community Protection Notice for disobeying the warnings (CPN).
According to a council spokesperson: “A South Moor woman was charged with failing to comply with a Community Protection Notice (CPN) that required her to remove garbage and dog feces from her yard.
“Alison Dawson of Mitchell Street, South Moor, ignored notices to remove garbage from her property’s yard and now faces a total of £1038 in fines and fees, as well as a criminal record.”
Excrement, junk, and an old fridge were discovered in Dawson’s back garden, according to photos shared on the Durham County Council Wardens Facebook page.
Even after the court proceedings, some residents claim there is still dog crap in the garden.
According to one local: “It’s like living next to a sewer. What kind of individual leaves dog poop all over the place? During the heat, the entire street reeks.
“She shouldn’t have gotten a fine; she should have had to buy a scoop and a roll of trash bags.”
Dawson claimed that cleaning up the garden was “the last thing on my mind” after the loss of a close friend.
She stated: “I’d recently lost my best friend. I had forgotten about the garden. Cleaning my yard was the last thing on my mind. They are my dogs, and this is my yard.
“Those images were taken by the council roughly three years ago.
“I did receive two council notices, but I learned about the fine through Facebook and then when I returned home from my daughter’s place and discovered a letter through my door.
“Before I knew it, it was all over Facebook. My anxiety has skyrocketed as a result.
“What will people think of me as I stroll down the street? My anxiety is out of control right now.”